Peak body temperature predicts mortality in critically ill patients without cerebral damage

Objectives

We investigated whether mortality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients without cerebral damage is associated with fever manifestation and characteristics.

Methods

Patients admitted to a medical-surgical ICU between October 2005 and July 2006 were prospectively studied. Exclusion criteria were acute brain injury, intracerebral/subarachnoid hemorrhage, ischemic stroke, and brain surgery. An ear-based or axillary thermometer was used to measure body temperature. The association between fever (ear-based temperature, >38.3°C), fever characteristics, and ICU mortality was evaluated using univariate and multivariate analysis.

Results

Two hundred and thirty-nine patients were enrolled. Fever was not associated with ICU mortality after adjustment for confounding patient factors. A significant dose-response increase of ICU mortality according to 1°C increments of peak body temperature was demonstrated, whereas peak body temperature was an independent predictor of ICU mortality.

Conclusion

These findings imply that, although fever is not generally associated with mortality in patients without cerebral damage, it can be harmful and should be suppressed when it becomes very high. Rigorous clinical trials are needed to help establish antipyretic therapy guidelines.